Penny For Your Thoughts
by crisspurplebowties
Summary: Kurt is a 19 year old NYADA student, surrounded with his family and his boyfriend, who he lives with. But when money became an issue, he was finally kicked out onto the streets of New York. He feels everything is hopeless. He has no one and nowhere. Until one rainy, dark, day inside a soggy cardboard box, someone offers him more than he could have ever expected.


**Juuuuust a little something I've been working on on the side. Hope you like it! **

Kurt shivered in the rain. His shoes were sloshing from all the water it had adsorbed. His clothes were like weights. His hair constantly fell in front of his eyes that he would flip away.

"Keep going.. just keep going, Kurt.." He would whisper under his breath. It was the only way he kept going, to motivate himself. "One foot in front of the other, Kurt... keep moving.."

He had grown accustomed to talking to himself. He had been doing it for months now. People probably thought he was nuts, on top of looking like crap on the bottom of their shoes.

When the motivating didn't help, he occupied himself with daydreaming or past memories, the latter being very painful to think about. Back when he had friends, a home, a family... a boyfriend...

_"C'mon, Adam," Kurt choked out through the tongue, "Stahp! We can't -" _

_"Oh, hush now, Kurt..." The man muttered as he slammed Kurt against the nearby dresser and fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. "Won't hurt to have a quickie, will it?"_

_"Well - I.. I suppose.. not?" Kurt sputtered out, turning bright pink and pressing several passionate kisses to his lips. He shuddered when Adam started to kiss down his chest. _

_"I..." Adam started several times before coming up and gripping his face, "I love you."_

_"I love you too."_

Kurt shuddered and choked down a sob, still shuffling in the wet concrete. _Stop, Kurt._

_"Why are you doing this?!" Kurt screamed. He tugged and pulled at Adam. He planted his feet that just kept sliding across the floor when Adam moved. "Don't leave! Please!" _

_Adam spun around, knocking Kurt to the floor on his back. "You lied to me! You kept it from me! I am your boyfriend, why can't you just trust me?!"_

_"Because I knew you'd do this!"_

_"What? Get mad? Break up with you? Hate your guts?! Well, tough, Kurt Hummel, it's happening anyway. You could've fucking told me you went into debt!" Adam yelled, grabbing everything he could on his way out the door that used to be _their_ apartment. _

_"Because honestly it's none of your business! You pay for everything anyway! We may live together but it was my money and my personal business! Please, Adam! Don't go!" Kurt was only now getting up from his spot on the floor. "Please!" _

_Adam stopped and turned around. He looked at Kurt dead in the eye. "No. I don't trust you. Not at all. It was my business and you know that. You kept everything from me. I trusted you with my money, and I _thought_ you trusted me with yours. But now you've made a fool out of me!"_

_"Don't you dare accuse me of not trust you! You never even cared about me, did you? All you and your petty friends cared about was our money -__" The slap across the face brought him to silence. He looked up at Adam with red-rimmed eyes as Adam's piercing ones looked back._

_"I really did love you. But now... now you're completely worthless. Trash." Adam left the apartment before Kurt could even muster out anything else. Kurt stared at the door after it slammed. 5 minutes. 10. 15. And then he broke into loud, shaking sobs. He sank to his knees and sobbed for countless hours, knowing Adam was gone. He'd never come back._

Kurt jolted back to reality when he realized he was crying. The pouring rain hid it, still he wiped his already drenched face. "You have to stop doing that, Kurt... stop.." He mumbled on, but his mind kept drifting back.

_"You're a disgrace to this family!" His father bellowed, Kurt cowering under him. "I mean, being gay was bad enough! But now you have no money, absolutely nothing! You're practically a beggar! You have nothing! When you told me Adam was gone, I thought that was just because you missed living with us! But you lied to us too, right?"_

_"D-dad, please!" Kurt whimpered as he backed away. "Dad.. I... look, it wasn't my fault! Adam kept making me buy all this stuff and there were just too many bills and too many fees and -"_

_"That's no excuse! I raised you right, Kurt. You should've handled it more responsibly!" His father paced, grumbling and shouting out. Finally he stopped and stared Kurt down. "Get out."_

_"Dad..." He gasped._

_"Get out! Don't come back! Don't call, don't talk, don't do anything! We don't know you." And just like with Adam, Kurt watched as everything slipped away out a door. That now no one was coming back. And he officially had nothing._

Kurt suddenly bursted into a run. He ran and he ran until his legs just couldn't go anymore. He bent over, his hands on his knees, heaving out sobs and trying to get some air in at the same time. He choked and cried until he had to make himself stand up straight and calm down. His head looked around the empty streets, thankful no one saw his little breakdown.

His eye caught on something, and even in his despair, his heart lifted. There was a large, sturdy, dry cardboard box in an alley way that he could use for the coming night.

Even though he had a small encounter with a feral cat that seemed to want the box, he grabbed for it and took off back into the rain. He went for a few more blocks before he came to a corner just outside a restaurant and decided this would be his home for the night. Shoving the box against the brick wall, he curled up inside it and listened the the sound of rain pattering on top of the cardboard.

All these months, and he still wasn't quite used to it. Having to ignore the nipping cold, making a run for it every time someone chased him off. Kurt leaned his head against one of the walls of the box and breathed softly out of his mouth.

Every night, he tried desperately not to think about it. To think of his dad, of all his 'friends', of Adam. Wondering if they miss him or regret their actions. If they'd somehow find him and take him home. He can't help it.

Despite his exhaustion, he simply stared at the wet pavement. The cars that sped by occasionally. It kind of calmed him. He was thankful no one was out in this weather, walking passed the box and giving him looks he knew he was receiving.

Kurt closed his eyes. Most of the time he couldn't sleep at all, if only a few hours. But tonight, he'd have to. This was the best shelter he'd had in a month. Last time it was an old and unused trash bin on a corner. Sure, it smelled a little but it was safe, at least. And no one bothered him.

"Sleep, Kurt.." He said as he curled up tighter inside the box, "Sleep... go to sleep.." His eyelids didn't even droop for another couple hours. But eventually he drifted off. Somewhere safe.. and warm...and happy.

_Kurt awoke on a field. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he wasn't sure he'd actually ever been there. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head.__ He stood and surveyed the area. Really, it was all grassy fields. The more he walked, the more he just seemed to be going in the middle of nowhere. But something caught his eye and he turned. _

_There, just in the distance, was a young woman waving at him. Kurt knew this woman for sure. The bright smile on her face topped it off. He started to run. "Mom!" He shouted,"Momma!"_

_His feet carried him all the way into her arms, feeling the familiar warmth and safety he longed for. He felt his mother run her hands through his hair like she used to, her calm voice hushing him._

_"It's alright, I'm right here.." Her voice said as she hugged him tightly, "Kurt, baby, look at me." He looked up at her through the tears in his eyes. "Kurt.. it's going to be okay. I know it's really hard right now, but it's going to work out fine."_

_Kurt buried his face into her shirt. "I just miss you so much, mommy.. It's so hard without you."_

_"I know, baby, I know.. I can't be there like I wish I could...so you're going to have to be strong. For me. And for yourself..." She cupped his chin with her soft hands, and trailed them down to his chest. Right over his heart. "You remember, baby, I'm right here. Even if you can't see me or hear me or feel me, I'm right here when you need me."_

_Kurt nodded silently, resting a hand over hers. "Okay.." He whispered. His mother's hands came up to his face and used her thumbs to wipe away the tears that trickled down. _

_"It'll be okay. Don't cry, darling." With one last squeeze and a smile, she backed away and turned to go._

_"Mom? Mom! Don't go!" _

_His mother only turned briefly. "I must, though. Don't worry, okay? Someone's going to take care of you. Much better than I can." And then she started to fade off into the air. _

_"What?! Mom, no! Come back! Who?"_

As soon as she completely dissolved into the sky, Kurt jolted awake. It looked like he had made it through the night. He wiped his face of the tears he could feel trickling down his face.

Ever since his mother had died her untimely death when he was a child, she still seemed to communicate with him through his dreams. Or at least he liked to think that way.

These dreams always came when he was in deep need. When he was lonely. When he missed her. He had all three of those things now, which means the dream had that much more meaning. She always somehow came to him in his sleep to comfort him, and she always left little promises for the future. They would sing together, or do weird crafts, or maybe even just talk about their day. Anything to distract him from whatever was troubling him. But this one...

This one was eerily soothing.

Maybe he was just too hopeful. It was just a dream, after all. But he liked to think it really was his mother coming to him. To give him advice, comfort, support. Sometimes if he thought hard enough, the things in his dreams with her would make more sense.

" 'Someone's going to take care of you..' " He whispered to himself, "Who? Who could possible want to take care of me now? Who could she mean?" Kurt was stumped. He was already worthless now. Who would want to help him?

"I'm sorry, mom... but I don't think anyone's going to save me anytime soon.." Kurt mumbled, "I think you're the only one who can do that.."

Kurt outstretched his legs, his shoes popping just outside the opening of the box. Despite the shelter of the box, it wasn't so nice to his bones. They snapped and cracked as he stretched around.

As his legs continued to stretch, he heard a loud rustling sound and his legs immediately popped back into the box, in fear there was someone coming. But no one ever passed by. He moved his legs again and the rustling returned. Kurt's eyebrows popped up. Just out of the corner of the inside flap, there was something transparent poking out.

Kurt picked at it until it slid out, discovering it was a small Ziploc bag. But when he pulled it out all the way, he nearly choked.

Because inside this little bag was a ten dollar bill.


End file.
